Shop Management, by Frederick Taylor

With the growth of Lean into all sectors of manufacturing and service industries around the globe, a survey into the origins of Lean becomes vital. As English economist Maynard Keynes once said, ‘ideas shape the course of history,’ and Frederick Taylor’s ideas still shape the course of history well after a century of use. Shop Management is a living lesson that shows how an innovative idea will adapt in order to survive. The purpose of Enna’s Lean Origin Series is to facilitate that adaptation by publishing classic texts that are relevant to today’s business needs.

Shop Management is a manual that goes into the nuts and bolts of efficiency and improvement. Like every good consultant, Taylor sums up big ideas with concise points and principles. Taylor’s Four Principles of Organizational Change should be hung in any environment where improvements are sought:

Choose a specific management style

It takes money

It takes time

Consistent and respectful implementation

The basic premise of Taylor’s system was always high wages coupled with low labor cost; taken in that context, the leap from Taylor to Toyota is not one of faith, but one of logic.